Northern's b-ball star
[attach]1094[/attach]You can’t teach height, but that’s no problem for Northern Red Knights hoopster Sophie Beutel.
The grade 12 student was one of the driving forces behind a standout season for her school’s run for an OFSAA championship. Unfortunately, the ladies lost in the consolation final to a school from Waterloo.
Still, coach Wendy Luck, says Beutel’s been a tower of power at post throughout the season.
“She was just pulling everything down left, right and centre, and going up for second attempt shots where a lot of people don’t have the strength to keep doing that,” she said. “Underneath the basket it does take a lot of work … she fights through that incredibly well.”
Always on the hardcourt throughout her academic career, Beutel doesn’t double dribble when balancing sport and school.
“It sort of brings another level to the school experience for me,” she says. “Not only am I a student who goes to my classes and does my homework, but I also get to enjoy basketball practices and also just meeting people I might not have otherwise met.”
Besides height, Beutel displays exemplary leadership and dedication to her team, says Luck.
“This school’s been really lucky to have her because she brought a lot of pride to the floor that hasn’t been there in a while just through her leadership,” she says. “For (the backdoor game) against Eastern, she was actually supposed to be leaving to go to check out a school in the States and rather than doing that she made sure she was there for the team.
“I think that speaks volumes of her character, that she’ll put her teammates first.”
With basketball behind Beutel for the time being, she’s picking up volleyball and then soccer before she graduates.
Of course, once she’s on to university, there will be more time for sports.
She’s interested in attending University of Toronto as well as west coast campuses Simon Fraser and University of British Columbia.
But there’s also interest from south of the border: Ivy League denizen Brown in Providence, Rhode Island.
“I went down there two weekends ago with my mom and it was really nice,” Beutel says. “I’ve never been to Rhode Island, so that was an experience in itself, and it was really great.”
Sitting in on the women’s team’s basketball game and practice was definitely a highlight.
But when it comes to the academics, you may have to refer to Beutel with the same nickname as NBA legend Julius Erving: Doctor.
“I’m really interested in sciences, specifically biology, so I’m interested in Life Sciences and maybe pursuing something in the medical field,” she said.